Time's Up
by aethkr
Summary: Kotori loves her friends. She'll do anything for them to be safe. Something like what Nozomi does, but fate has other plans for the second year girl.


_10_

Kotori woke up with a start. She fixed her bed as she headed to the bathroom to take a bath for school. Her mother, who just also woke up, looked at Kotori and gasped. Her mother dropped down and cried.

"Mom?" Kotori asked, her mom continued to cry. "Mom? Don't cry."

"B-Be safe K-Kotori-chan," her mother uttered, Kotori felt confused. "I love you a lot. You know that right?"

"I do mom," Kotori said, she walked up to the woman and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you too. I'll be taking a bath now."

"O-Okay," Mrs. Minami answered, heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. " _W-Why now?_ "

" _Why did mother cry?_ " Kotori asked herself as the water was poured on her. " _Confusing…. I'm happy though that mother won't die today but years later. That's good. But wait. Am I going to die? Is that why mom cried? No no. It can't be. Parents should die first not the children…"_

"Kotori-san? Are you there?" a masculine voice called, her dad. "Your mom just wanted to tell you that she'll be going ahead."

"She didn't take a bath yet!" Kotori pointed out. "Did she take a bath yet? I'm the first one to take a bath today."

"She said that she took a bath yesterday at midnight," her dad reasoned, Kotori nodded. "Food is already prepared at the table. I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Okay dad!" Kotori said as she heard footsteps slowly fading away. " _Dad's just fine, he didn't freak out. Oh wait yeah, dad can't see Kotori…. Oops! My mistake!"_

 _9_

Kotori turned off the shower as she wrapped herself in a towel. She quickly headed to her room to dress up. Apparently Umi and Honoka didn't show up, they always go to school together. But Kotori shrugged it off, they might have waken up late. But will Umi actually wake up late? Isn't that something Honoka will sometimes do?

" _Dad said that the food is prepared but I can't see anything,"_ Kotori said to herself as she entered the kitchen. "Dad!"

"Yes?" her dad appeared at an instant, he smiled, but in the smile there was pain. "Is something wrong?"

"Umm…." Kotori mumbled, nearly forgetting what she was going to ask. "Oh yeah! Did you put the food in the refrigerator?"

"I did, oops," her dad giggled, scratching the back of his head. "You want me to eat with you?"

"Okay," Kotori said, she got the food out and prepared the table.

"Let's eat!" both father and daughter said simultaneously.

"Your mother's cooking is the best isn't it?" her dad said, Kotori nodded. "I wonder what I would have done if I didn't her."

"I wouldn't be born," Kotori said after she swallowed her food. "And I wouldn't have met my friends."

"Hmm…..yeah, you're right," her dad said, eating another mouthful of food.

 _8_

"I'll be going now dad!" Kotori bid farewell but her father wanted to talk. "Dad?"

"Daddy loves you, remember that," her dad said, small tears forming at the corner of his eyes. "Mommy and daddy loves you okay?"

"I love both of you too!" Kotori said happily as she pulled the handle of the door. "See you dad!"

" _We love you!_ " her dad said to her just a split second before she finally exit the house. The tears in the corner of his eyes finally dropped down as the father of one broke down.

People continuously eyed her. Kotori promised herself to ask her mother about this. Unbeknownst to her though, the people's eyes were filled with pity and anger. Kotori didn't mind, she already is feeling uncomfortable. And she continued to walk.

Since she felt so pressured, she ended up falling a couple times. It's unrealistic but it's true. Yet every time she fell, the people around her would give her help every single time. She decided to keep her distance from the μ's today. She didn't want them to give her this same glance as well.

"Ahh! Finally!" she can hear Honoka's voice in the distance. Kotori immediately ran away. She just entered the school campus, they were looking for her. "Huh? I knew I saw Kotori-chan here _just_ a second ago!"

"Maybe you mistook her for someone else Honoka," Eli's voice said, Honoka sighed. "Don't worry. She won't be absent. Principal Minami-sensei wasn't absent. Maybe Kotori is just late."

"But she isn't this late Eli," Kotori recognizes the voice as Umi. And yes she is right. "If ever, Honoka is the one who always arrives last. We passed by her house while going to school and her mom just said that she wouldn't be going to school or something like that. Her eyes were puffy as if she just cried earlier."

 _7_

"You never know, she might _actually_ be late for once," Maki added, twirling her hair. "You never know."

"This is badd!" Nico panicked, it was a day of their Live. "Kotori-chan isn't here!"

"Look on the bright side, you're worrying for someone Nico-chi," Nozomi teased, giggling. "Isn't that great?"

"N-Nozomi!" Nico mumbled, blushing. "We need to perform for a Live you know! A Live! A performance in front of Nico-nii's fans! Nico nico nii~!"

"Rin-chan to ieba… (If it's Rin-chan)," Rin hyped herself up. "YELLOW DA YO! (IT'S YELLOW!)"

"You already have a call and response for the Live already? Woah…" Hanayo praised her friend. "I don't seem to have one yet.."

"Kotori-chan!" Honoka yelled, Kotori felt bad for not revealing herself. "Where are you?!"

" _Kotori-chan, listen to me,"_ her mom's voice said, for a few minutes Kotori has been silently sobbing while talking to her mother. "" _I love you very much. You know that right?"_

"Y-Yes…..I do," Kotori whispered in tears. "You're serious right? Y-You're not joking?"

" _I would never joke about this Kotori-chan,_ " her mom replied, her tone of voice now cracking. " _Shoe yourself to your friends. You have a Live remember?"_

"I-I don't want to," Kotori insisted, but she had her reasons. "I-It would be better if I didn't."

"Okay then, it's your decision after all," Mrs. Minami said. "I love you."

"I love you too."

—

"Hi there everyone!" Honoka greeted, happy as ever. "We are μ's! Unfortunately, due to unforeseen events, one of our members are absent. Despite that, I hope you enjoy our performance!"

Kotori watched in the crowd as a tear slid down her cheek. She practiced for so long with them in doing this dance and yet here she is, watching instead. It made her chest hurt. At least she made the costumes in time. She wouldn't want her own group to be humiliated in the Love Live! preliminaries.

 _6_

Kotori watched as her friends dance gracefully gracefully on the rooftop of UTX Academy. She wished that although she may be absent, her friends will be able to pass that stage and finally compete with A-RISE, their main rival.

Her another wish is that they'll be able to actually _win_ Love Live! In a world full of competition, the one who succeeds is the one who believes they can do it. Will they actually he able to do it though? It wandered around Kotori's head. But she knew that doubt won't get her anywhere. Her friends will make it. She believes they will.

"Thank you everyone!" Hanayo thanked, bowing. Kotori smiled. "We hope you vote for us! Let's go!"

"Thank you for your ongoing support!" Eli said next, stepping forward. "See you next time!"

"μ's! Music…START!" Honoka yelled happily and the crowd goes wild. "Thank you very much!"

 _BANG!_

"You'll not be stepping down that stage!" a voice called out as the lights were shot. Kotori pushed her way through the crowd. But she repeatedly kept being pushed back, the others wanted to see what was happening. "Hands up!"

" _Someone save me~!"_ Hanayo thought to herself. "W-What did we do?"

"H-Hanayo!" Nico whispered angrily. "Don't provoke them. Do you have a death wish?!"

"Nothing, you nine didn't do anything," the attacker said in a volume they can only hear. "Oh wait, nine? You mean eight."

"You did something to Kotori-chan didn't you?" Umi asked angrily. "What. Did. You. Do?"

"Nothing, we just realized that you were missing someone," the masculine voice answered, Umi became quiet. "Anyways, did I say 'we'? Yeah, I did."

"Whatever you do, p-please don't hurt us!" Eli begged, her tone breaking. "W-What d-d-do you w-want?"

"You will not hurt any of them!" Rin proclaimed, the guy laughed. "Huh?"

 _5_

Kotori continued to push through the crowd no matter how hard they pushed her back. She was lucky they didn't give her odd stares. Thank the lucky stars for that. Security personnel came in and made sure no one did anything rash. Kotori looked around for an alternative route. Oh yeah, the backstage. She ran opposite the crowd and realized that it will be impossible at this point, but she tried regardless. It was obviously better than getting stuck there.

" _Please be alright, please be alright,_ " Kotori chanted as she ran.

"You're taking us hostage?" Maki asked, they all wondered how she could be so calm but actually, she's terrified. "Why?"

"To satisfy myself," he answered with an unseen grin on his face. "Do you want to be first to be tied up?"

"I decline," Maki said, stepping aside. "But you're not doing that to them or else you'll _**pay**_."

"Umi-chan," Nozomi whispered, Umi looked at her curiously. "What did you teach Maki-chan?"

"Seriously Nozomi?" Honoka whispered back in irritation. "We can die any second now."

"And that you're right Kousaka-san," he added, hearing the conversation. "My gun is pointed to all of you. Move and you're dead. _On the spot."_

It sent shivers through their spine. Just one second they were having fun with their fans and now death is just by their side.

"PLEASE REMAIN CALM," another voice from above said. "THIS IS THE POLICE. PUT YOUR HANDS UP!"

"Oops, looks like I have been _caught,_ " he said slyly. "Oh wait, that's my friends. Not your ticket to safety. But your ticket to heaven has been purchased already don't worry."

"Excuse me?" Nico asked, now irritated. "What did you—"

 _BANG!_

"Nico-chi!" Nozomi cried as Nico just stood still, frozen. "Huh? You're okay! Thank goodness!"

"I would've killed you," he said, but pointed at someone else. "I have someone who I want to kill first."

 _4_

"M-Me?!" Honoka pointed at herself. "Why would you want to kill me?"

"You're the leader, if you're dead, they wouldn't continue in Love Live!," he smirked, he picked the right person. "Do you understand? So you're first. Goodbye, Honoka."

He loaded his gun while the rest couldn't do anything but just stand and watch, at some point the attacker's affiliates arrived and cuffed the rest so they couldn't move. They weren't getting arrested.

He cocked his pistol and aimed it as he smirked.

 _3_

 _2_

 _1_

 _BANG!_

Honoka waited for the impact but it didn't come, she heard gasps and opened her closed eyes. Another body was there instead of hers. And something about it made her cry.

"Oh, looks like I killed another one instead, too bad," he said, he commanded his men to release the girls. "Nice meeting with you."

And they left.

"K-Kotori-chan!" Honoka yelled in despair, just recently due to technology advances, everyone can now see what date everyone will die, except for them. And for Kotori, she was going to die today. "Y-You…..a-are…"

"I….k-know…" Kotori coughed, losing blood fast. "I-I'm….s-s-sorry….I didn't…a-attend…. I d-didn't want you to grieve…."

"Kotori-chan…." Eli said softly, her tears fell. "It….was…n-nice meeting….…y-you.."

"It…w-was nice….meeting…..y-you…all…as….w-well…." Kotori coughed up some blood, she was dying. "T-Tell…my family….I love them….. I love you…all…Umi-chan…..H-Honoka-chan….."

"Kotori-chan…." Umi said, on her knees, refusing to accept what's happening. "No!"

"G-Goodbye….…e-everyone…" Kotori said, now near her last breath. "I…love…..you….all."

Kotori's eyes turned lifeless. Her chest stopped rising. She was killed. But she didn't die in vain. She died….protecting her friend.

 _0_

—

 **It's late again…. Sorry. Did you like it? Favorite/Follow/Review if you did! Well, the review is for criticism so not really. I felt kinda sad reading this. But it was slightly heart-wrenching. Apologies to any Kotori fan.**

 **Writing Prompt:**

 **Everyone can see when everyone else will die except for themselves. And one day, everyone starts to be** _ **really**_ **nice** __ **to you.**

 **Start a story at number 10 and end it with the number 0.**

 **These aren't my prompts so feel free to use it as well. :)**

 **So sorry for any She's Changed fan. Although this is a different story, 'She's Changed' will** _ **not**_ **have yuri pairings. I'm okay with them in real life because what can I do about it but I prefer writing straight characters. Besides, this community is filled with pairings. So let's mix it up.**


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